Tesla Brings Super Batteries To Australian Homes

Article by Amy Bradney-George

December 11, 2015 at 8:07 AM

Tesla is a brand known for innovation in the energy efficiency world, but the brand is rapidly moving well beyond cars. In fact, Tesla could now become more than a household name in Australia, with it’s much hyped batteries now available for homes around the country.

The Tesla Powerwall promises to dramatically cut consumers’ power bills by letting them store solar energy for use when the sun is no longer shining, and also optimising use of grid-based electricity when it’s needed. As the Tesla website puts it:

“Powerwall increases the capacity for a household’s solar consumption, while also offering backup functionality during grid outages.”

As far as renewable energy goes, this system could be revolutionary and actually has the potential to offer energy services that are equivalent or even superior to traditional (coal-based) power sources.

It also offers energy companies a chance to shift towards renewables in a major way – and Origin appears to be leading the charge. The major energy provider has partnered with Tesla to offer the Powerwall system to customers in an all-inclusive package (including set up).

“By offering rooftop solar with home batteries, Origin is able to provide households with greater control over their energy use than ever before,” Origin Chief Executive Officer Energy Markets, Frank Calabria, says in a press statement.

“Customers can now also make their investment in solar work harder, as excess electricity produced during the day can be stored for use at a later time when the solar panels do not produce electricity.”

Origin says the Powerwall system is available for purchase now, with installations “expected to commence in February 2016”.

The cost of a full residential system has been estimated to be about $15,000, which includes the Tesla Powerwall battery, solar panels, and an inverter to switch the panels’ DC output into the AC needed for use in the home.

While that might be out of the budget for many homeowners, prices may come down as the technology becomes more readily available. Tesla is also working with a range of companies involved in power supplies for new apartment buildings and commercial businesses – which could be an incentive for new buyers in both realms who want to commit to being as green as possible.

As far as Tesla is concerned, going off-grid is the only way forward now.

“With Tesla Energy, Tesla is amplifying its efforts to accelerate the move away from fossil fuels to a sustainable energy future with Tesla batteries, enabling homes, business, and utilities to store sustainable and renewable energy to manage power demand, provide backup power and increase grid resilience,” the company says.

“Once we’re able to rely on renewable energy sources for our power consumption, the top 50% of the dirtiest power generation resources could retire early. We would have a cleaner, smaller, and more resilient energy grid.”